OVERVIEW

ITINERARY

Although the Sespe River flows year around, the water levels can diminish during the Fall due to intense summer heat while Winter storms often leave the creek completely impassable. For the most part, the segments of the Sespe River Trail that aren't obvious paths are well marked with cairns, but bringing a map is crucial to any successful outing and here, the trail seems to diminish due to both recent flood conditions and its lack human contact.  It is absolutely necessary to check out the Forest Service website regarding road closures and trail conditions and even call the Ojai Ranger District to ask for updates before you lose cell service. 

THE SESPE RIVER TRAIL

Piedra Blanca trail head | Elevation 3,069 feet

Monday April 17th -- 8:30AM. I was awoken by the soothing sound of my 2004 Nissan Xterra being driven over small pothole, a jerky rattle similar to that of a tool chest being dropped from a second story window. I sat up and was treated to endless clusters of sandstone and chaparral unique to the Los Padres National Forest. We were coming down the last stretch of Rose Valley Road (Forest Route 6N31) where we would soon pass the Middle Lion Campground junction before the final descent into the Sespe Creek Canyon. 

ONTO BEAR CREEK TRAIL CAMP

Bear Creek Campground | Elevation 2,812 feet

 

By 10:20 AM, we had completed 4.5 miles and a most of our homemade turkey club wraps. We could have easily bypassed the gorgeous Bear Creek Trail Camp by staying to the left most trail, but its shaded sites and sandy beaches are always worth investigating. We spent all of two minutes admiring its comforts before strolling further East.

Just passed the camp, the path crosses the channel for the fourth time and although the trail appears to continue east after crossing, it instead shifts south-west to climb a quick switchback, bringing you above the floodplain where it remains for another mile before crossing the river yet again. We filtered some water and made way for the creek bed. This one is probably the longest creek junction, spanning at nearly 50 feet of shallow water. Once we made it across, we were greeted with an array of wild flowers including Notch-Leaf Phacelia and Bristly Fiddleneck. Their miniature purple and gold buds contrasted each other wonderfully making for a great visual experience.

ROLLING HILLS & OAK FLAT CAMPGROUND

Oak Flat Campground | Elevation 2,600 feet

After a mostly steady descent for nearly 6 miles, the trail begins to move away from the creek, climbing the northern hillside. At the top, we were rewarded with some spectacular overhead views of Oak Flat Campground and another descent. This 'rolling hill' fashion would continue for the remainder of our trek toward Willet (mile 9.5) for a total of five climbs ranging from 100-200 feet which can be a pleasant change of scenery or an exhausting challenge, perspective dependent. 

WILLET & THACHER CAMP

Willet Camp | Elevation 2,520 feet

12:40 PM -- We started descending the last of the rolling hills after nearly 4 hours of determined motion and although the early morning blessed us with cloudy weather, the afternoon brought on clear skies and just a little more sunshine than we needed. We continued along the hillside staying west of the creek passing the many sites of Thacher Camp since the year before, we had spent the night there and were under the impression that the trail to Sespe Hot Spring continued on this side of the Creek. I even went as far as confirming the route with two other skeptical backpackers along the way. Within minutes of passing the Willet Hot Spring junction and a few old rustic metal shack ruins, the trail began to disappear and I knew I had done something wrong. I pulled out my map and was able to determine that we should have crossed the creek near Thacher Campground and avoided Willet altogether. We shuffled through the bush, where we quickly found a washed out trail.

DIFFICULTIES UP TO HARTMAN CAMP

Hartman Camp | Elevation 2,489 feet

The humbling experience of falling off track was cause to halt our hiking trivia game and focus on navigating, especially since the prior months storms had mostly washed away portions of the trail leaving nothing but muddy foot prints flanked with poison oak. At mile 10.5, we crossed the creek yet again which brought us to Hartman Camp. The cool water soothed our aching feet while trail cairns and a wide open path brought us some much needed comfort after our previous difficulties. We were now just over a third of the way to the hot springs and a victory glass of wine.

Coltrell Flat

Coltrell Flat Campground | Elevation 2,312 feet

At 2:20 PM we had traveled 12.3 miles, climbed 1,300 feet, descended just under 2,000 feet and crossed Sespe Creek nine times in total. Our heavy packs were no longer a burden since our shoulders and hips were mostly numb. We were in autopilot. Our eyes followed the dirt path as it parted the lush grassy hillside ahead. This would be the biggest climb yet, but we were up for it. We knew were close.

The Johnston Ridge Trail

Poplar Creek Canyon Junction | Elevation 2,365 feet

As we made another short ascent, we reached an intersection (mile 14) with a sign that read  'HOT SPRING'; the arrow pointed north. The reassurance that we had almost arrived to our destination was welcomed and after taking a quick photo, we made moves away from Sespe Creek and onto the Johnston Ridge Trail which followed Poplar Creek. Just half a mile later, We had reached the ironically titled Cold Water Fork and as the trail crossed over the now negligible creek, I decided to stick my hand in the water. It was warm. 

The Sespe Hot Springs Trail

Sespe Hot  Spring Trail Junction | Elevation 2,643 feet

At mile 15, we had reached another Fork and the final creek crossing. It was here that our prior research had indicated the Johnston Ridge trail would continue to climb out of the canyon (an adventure we had hoped try out another time) while the Sespe Hot Spring Trail would follow the eastern side of this ridge. However looking around, we could see some really nice camp sites. We followed the trail through some surprisingly dense bush and popped out in a wide open canyon. A group of palm trees stood out in the distance and I knew we had reached our oasis.

CAMPING NEAR SESPE HOT SPRINGS

Sespe hot Springs Camp Site | Elevation 2,700 feet

We had made it to the Springs at 4 o'clock PM where saw a couple of backpackers nestled under the Palm Trees in what looked like the best site available.  We introduced ourselves and found out that Joey and Spencer were locals who had been there dozens of times. They noted that the only filterable water was just a quarter mile upstream and was much cooler than its sulfur instilled counterpart. We thanked them for the information and finally parked our gear just 200 feet south of their location near the water.  We set up our tent and sat inside to avoid the bugs and the heat,  but we were completely exposed and the sun would not go down for another hour.

Moments later, my girlfriend noted that a bug was inside of the tent. At first I dismissed the remark as I scrolled through photos we had taken during the day but when she called for my attention again, I turned to see a massive tick crawling on the tent floor. I looked around for something to smash it with but its exoskeleton seemed to be impervious. I ended up having to wrap it with a bandana and twist it like I was trying to ring out moisture. After three attempts, it finally stopped moving and I threw it out of the tent only to see a black widow climbing onto our tent fly, which I quickly flicked off. There we sat; dirty, hot, and confined. It was a freaking paradise. 

FINDING A GOOD POOL 

GETTING BACK HOME

Within minutes of setting out, the light drizzle became showers and we nervously adjusted our layers. I knew that we weren't expecting a down pour so flooding was out of the picture, but if the moisture lasted for the extent of our hike back, we would probably be uncomfortable and in low spirits. The showers stopped shortly after we made it back to Sespe Creek and we were left with the scent of fresh rain and vibrant cloud work.

There was really no destination or deadline since we had planned on spending one more night in the wild and empty campsites riddled the trail. However trekking back to Bear Creek Trail Camp seemed ideal, so that the last push for the trail head would be short and sweet. Plus, Joey and Spencer had said that they were going to spend the night there and they seemed like good company.

At around 3 o'clock PM, we had reached Bear Creek where we saw our friends. We spent the evening laughing over an imaginary campfire with a few drinks and the following morning we decided to hike out together. They schooled us on a number of other great adventures in and around the Los Padres National Forest and by the time we had made it to the cars, we were ready for more.